# muskrat

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmʌskɹæt/ · frequency rank #58,873

## Definitions
1. A semiaquatic rodent of the tribe Ondatrini.
2. Any of several shrews in the family Soricidae, especially an Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus).
3. A bandicoot rat.

## Etymology
Perhaps so called for its musky odour and because it resembles a rat, or perhaps called by an Algonquian name like the Abenaki moskwas, with the spelling altered under the influence of the English words musk and rat.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/muskrat